Archive for the ‘New Media and its Disconents’ Category

What I Could’ve Done with my “Lost” Hours

I estimate I spent nearly 60 hours untangling the 4-D web that was Lost. By the inglorious end, I surmised it amonted to the following:

Everyone gets off the Island vertically or horizontally. They all meet up in an unconscious Purgatio and have a group hug.

I feel used like a recycled condom. I’ve been disappointed by series finales before, but at lease BSG made some sense. I won’t overstate what has bugged other Lost refugees, but could we at least get an idea what the Island was? Let’s dispatch with the ‘its what you make of it’ crystal rubbing New Age-y drivel. Who built the temple and the 4-toed statue? What is the light?

By mid season, I had thought that the Island was a kind of Phantom Zone to imprison Smokey. Jacob was the warden and he was looking for someone to take over the next shift. Instead, we get a retelling of the Cain and Abel story and some Chronicles of Narnia riffs.

Sixty hours invested. Sixty hours Lost.

Popular Podcasters Fading or a Trough Before the New Wave?

In last few weeks, well known podcasters J.C Hutchins (7^th Son Trilogy) and Patrick E. McLean (The Seanachai) have hung up their mics and retired from podcasting. With two pioneering podcasters leaving the feed, will others follow?

J.C. Hutchins announced his official retirement from podcasting, shortly after he was dropped by his publishing company. He attempted to mute his disappointment, but it was obvious from his blog articles he is jaded against New Media. According to JC, he has put hundreds of hours into recording and writing ,on top of a 40 hour day job and family obligations, with little financial payoff.

I am a fan of Hutchins and his arch rival/contemporary Scott Sigler, yet I have been skeptical of the efficacy of podiobooks. Every time I attended DragonCon, fans donning official clone or Kraken’s shirts milled among the Klingons and Stormtroopers. However, these legions of cloying fans did not generate income. I often wondered how many of them have bought the book which they have listened too several times pro bono. I know my experience from designing promotional gear, that giving away T-shirts and other swag has about 1-10% return on investment.

I too had podiobook dreams.  I imagined swarming legions donning my paraphernalia and packing rooms for a glimpse of the newest podiobooking pioneer – me. The enormous investment in time and money just did not seem worth it. I felt my time would be better spent becoming a better writer and tuning my own voice.

The sameness of the podiobooking community is discouraging. After four DragonCons and seeing the same panelists, and same fans, on the podcast track, I’ve realized that the next wave haven’t even begun to ripple media waters. If I were to create a podiobook, sacrifice whatever spare time I have, it would take three times the effort to gain listenership. Unless the podiobook is exellent, fans would be hard won. 10,000 listeners means little. The sound of Big Media not-giving-a-shit would be deafening.

The parochial publishing mafia is still very risk adverse and feels no threat from the pioneers leaving wagon ruts on their firmament. Steven King and James Patterson will release new titles this year, they will suck, and they will sell. We may have next Nor’Eastern educated young so-called genius like Johnathan Foer breaking the hearts of the critics. The sad fact is that Big Publishing only cares about tried and true hitters and novels about and set in NYC by people of their class and Ivy background.

However, there is a molecule of hope. E-booking and small publishing houses are taking off where Big Publishing fears to tread. While I don’t think podcasting will arise again, at least in the same way, it still has promise as a promotional tool, a way to interact with fans and a low-risk teaser for would-be fans.